TEENAGER Katie Finney (19) of Hilton Lane, Prestwich, is the newest police recruit as editor of a magazine encouraging young people to get involved in the local community.

The former Greater Manchester Police Young Citizen of the Year has her sights set on a career in journalism and was roped in to head the force's eye-catching magazine, Sorted!

Youth groups and schools in Greater Manchester will receive the 200,000 copies of Sorted! which looks at police initiatives for young people as well as including news and contact numbers.

"They phoned me up and asked if I would be interested and after several late nights and lots of hard work we got it out. We worked on all aspects of it and came up with the ideas for the design, which is very bright, by playing around on the computer.

"Greater Manchester Police Print and Design then snazzed it up," she said.

Katie worked with Dennis Pinnock from Manchester Foyer, a hostel for disadvantaged youngsters, and will be joined by Tottington teenager Nicola Burton (17) for the next edition.

However, Katie, who plans to study media and communications at Leeds, will have to fit in the project around work experience at the Manchester office of The Guardian.

She added: "We really want to see how we can develop the magazine and follow up some of the things in this edition."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.